Jean-Pierre Danel - Biography

Biography

Danel started his career as a professional guitarist in July 1982, at the age of 14.

He was then mainly influenced by English guitarist Hank Marvin of The Shadows. After many tours and studio recordings with French session musicians, he released various guitar albums, winning 8 gold discs in Europe. In the US, his album Stratospheric was named Best Album of the Year 2000 by the Instrumental Rock Guitar Hall Of Fame, and Danel was also named Composer of the Year for his track "Ballad For a Friend". As a guitarist, the Instrumental Rock Guitar Hall Of Fame described him as "brilliant and expressive".

In 2001, he played on Guitar Masters – The Greatest Guitarists in the World, on which Eric Clapton, BB King, Carlos Santana or Al di Meola were also invited.

As a producer, he started his own company, Puzzle Productions, in 1989. He produced dozens of hit records and also bought the rights for many songs from other companies, creating a 18,000 songs catalogue. Record industry specialists presented Danel in various TV documentaries as one of the biggest independent producers in France, with 22,4 million copies sold, 181 gold and platinum discs and no less than 358 hits records, sometimes in 36 countries, including 24 #1 records.

His work also includes the production, with DJ Da French Guy, of radio remixes for artists such as Madonna, Britney Spears, Daft Punk, and Moby. In October 2002, with the re-release by Sony of a part of his back catalogue, he was the producer with the highest number of albums and singles in the French national charts during one same week, with 19 records ranked.

His own album Guitar Connection, released by Sony/BMG in July 2006 is the only instrumental guitar album to reach the #1 spot in the charts in France, and received a double gold disc (for more than 160,000 copies sold) and later a platinum disc. The DVD received a diamond disc and two singles hit the Top 20.

Guitar Connection 2 was released in March 2007, hitting the charts at #8. The album features some famous guest stars, and includes a duet with British legend Hank Marvin on the standard "Nivram". The single hits the French charts at #15. His duet which French star Laurent Voulzy hits the charts at #7, followed by another hit single at #13. Guitar Connection 2 received a gold disc and the DVD received a double platinum disc.

In June 2007, Danel received the "Grand Prix Français de la Guitare" award. as well as a multi-diamond distinction award for 25 years in the music business

In March 2008, his single "NZ Girl Blues" hits the charts at #5.

Guitar Connection 3 hits the charts at #18 in July 2008, the DVD gets a platinum disc and two singles enter the charts, including "The Pink Side of Miss Daisy", which goes to #9 and later gets a gold disc, and a Top 20 hit with a version of "Honky Tonk Woman".

In March 2009, Guitar Connection - Tribute to The Shadows hits the album charts at #6, provides a hit single, and the video version gets a gold disc. The Best of Guitar Connection hits the charts at #23 in September 2009 (and will later get to #2 on the downloading charts), followed by the double album "Jean-Pierre Danel plays The Shadows" at #38. "Guitar Connection Anthology" follows at #19.

In November 2010, his charitable "Out of the Blues" guitar album to the benefit of Aids research, is released by Universal. Danel records duets with 24 guitars greats such as Hank Marvin again, Albert Lee (recorded at the legendary Abbey Road Studio 2), Scott Henderson, Andy Powell of Wishbone Ash, Jake Shimabukuro and various very popular French artists. The first single, also titled "Out of the blues", had hit the Top 20 in March 2010 as an avant premiere, and the album hits #3. 2 Top 40 and Top 20 hit singles follow, plus a string of Top 10 hits on iTunes as well, including a #1 hit single in Belgium,, a long-running Top 5 hit with Axel Bauer, staying in the charts for more than two years. 8 singles in all hit the ITunes charts in several countries, such as the USA, Ireland, Portugal, Germany, France, Sweden, Finland, Luxemburg, Belgium, etc. The album gets support by various people, such as Carla Bruni, then First Lady of France, or Brian May of Queen. The DVD gets a platinum disc in February 2011 and the album a gold disc. Out of the blues hits the Top 30 when it reenters the charts again in 2011.

He then produces the title track for the soundtrack for the movie “Les Neiges du Kilimandjaro”, presented at the Cannes movie festival.

In October, Universal releases a 5 cds box set with an anthology of Danel recordings over the last 29 years as well as several compilations on donwloadings. Two of those albums hit the charts, at #9 and #14 in France, as well as compilations in various countries such as Israël, Taïwan or Dominican Republic. The old album Stratospheric makes a brief entry in the charts as well and Sony releases a 3 cd metal box set in 2012.

An English speaking DVD/Blue Ray for the US market, "The Story of the Fender Stratocaster", will be released in 2013. Danel introduces his collection, and especially his scarce 1954 preproduction Stratocaster model named Miss Daisy, an iconic guitar which can be found as a life-sized poster at Le Louvre museum gallery, as well as in several books.

Danel is listed among the 30 greatest Stratocaster players in Rolling Stone magazine in December 2009.

Danel also wrote a dozen of books, including "Femme mode d’Emploi" (quotations about women), and "Legend of the Fender Stratocaster" based on his guitar collection (foreword by Hank Marvin) in 2012. In 2007, he published two biographies of French playwrighter, director and actor, Sacha Guitry, a funny second-degree autobiography and several other books.

Jean-Pierre is the son of the French pop singer Pascal Danel and the nephew of opera director Jean-Pierre Ponnelle.